Promise to Keep
by FortunesRevolver
Summary: Promises are made and broken everyday. Some withstand the passage of time, while others fade and are left forgotten. Even if his efforts seemed useless, he'd do everything in he could to keep the one he'd made her. [AkixFeMC - Old version]
1. Akihiko's Promise

**Promise to Keep**_  
AkihikoxHamuko_

So... yeah. I've been playing P3P pretty much compulsively since I got it and I absolutely fell in love with this pairing. I know I'm a huge AkixMina fan, but Akihiko's was just... yeah. I loved the romantic side and all the cute little things that could happen if you spent more time with him or talked to him during events once it was maxed out romantically. He really is such a sweetheart... This story, however, is based on the Christmas date, so there are minor spoilers for the gift he gives the FeMC and the end of Persona 3 if there's anyone out there who still doesn't know what happens.

Did anyone else get the Akihiko NG+ ending and felt the urge to cry when he said, "From this moment onward, we'll never be apart..." right before the protagonist _"dies"?_ Atlus... thou art a cruel company. That's just not right... Akihiko lost _everything_. His sister... Shinjiro... and then when he _finally_ finds someone he can love, when he _finally_ finds something to make him happy again... IT'S TAKEN AWAY! *huffs* At least Junpei gets Chidori back and everyone else in the game is pretty much set for life as far as themselves go but... I ramble. I hope you all enjoy the story.

Ah... I'm also considering a sequel for this from Hamuko's POV, but I'm not sure if I would have her return or not. I guess that all depend on what the readers want. Thanks again!

**Edit:** Title typo has been fixed. Now I just have to wait for to upload the correction...

* * *

The soft crunch of snow under a pair of boots echoed throughout the otherwise quiet night as one Akihiko Sanada made his way through the gentle fall of snow. Despite the cold weather, he was dressed in little more than his normal winter casual, the only noticeable difference being the lack of his infamous red scarf. In its place was a scarf made of a soft material in a pale and creamy off-white; a gift he'd received back in his senior year of high school. His hair, still bright silver, was darker than usual from all the fallen snow it had absorbed, and was slowly taking on a powdered-sugar hue as more fell. Raising a black gloved hand, he brushed the offending flakes that hadn't absorbed into the light strands away before returning it to his pocket where he clutched a small package between his fingers.

"It's cold tonight, isn't it…?" he murmured softly, taking a moment to pause and glance up toward the sky. "Much colder than last year. Maybe… I'll light the fireplace when I get home." The boxer chuckled at the idea and his head as he quickened his pace. While the hour was no longer dangerous, he had yet to fully break the habit of making sure that he was home before the stroke of midnight. However, tonight, it was especially important that he made it home in time. It was Christmas Eve, and he had someone waiting for him; he had a promise to keep.

Happily, the apartment he'd rented out for himself wasn't that far from the shop he'd gone to visit, and he was home shortly after. The silverette abandoned his shoes at the door and discarded his coat over a hanger before carefully removing the scarf around his neck and draping it over a hook. Out of habit, he ran his hand through his hair once more to ensuring that no more flakes had snuck their way inside. When he was satisfied, he reached into the front pocket of his jacket and pulled out the small box he'd been clutching tightly earlier, and placed it in his pants pocket as he moved into the main part of the house, turning lights on as he went.

As he entered the living room, he glanced toward the top of the fireplace and smiled faintly. Everything was exactly where he'd left it. "I'm home," he called out, knowing it was far too late for him to receive a reply in the first place. "Now, a fire… and some hot chocolate. That'll be nice." He nodded silently, as if answering his own silent question and slipped into the kitchen, pulling two mugs from their hooks under the cabinet as he went. The hot chocolate mix was already sitting on the counter, as he never saw much point in putting it away during the winter, and beside it on the stove, the kettle sat, waiting to be used.

Several minutes later, Akihiko was reentered his living room with two steaming mugs of the sweet drink clutched tightly in his hands. Both were set on the floor beside one another to allow him to reach for a small box of matches that sat near the metallic gate that protected his carpet from hot ashes that flew astray. After three attempts, a small fire had been started and the silverette allowed himself a small noise of approval. The flames were bursting into life much faster than normal, but he couldn't find a reason to complain. His heater was practically broken, and he hadn't yet gone out to get the materials he needed to fix it. A large fire was welcome.

Standing up, he reached for one of the objects he'd glanced at earlier upon his arrival and picked it up, giving the item a fond look. It was a picture frame made of dark cherry wood, and carried a picture that, thankfully, had yet to show any signs of age even after ten years. The photo inside had been taken when he was still a senior in high school, sitting under a tree with mixed leaves of orange, red, and gold, showing off their bright fall life. In his lap sat a brunette female with auburn eyes and hair tied back. His arms were draped casually around her waist, and while both had known the picture was being taken at the time, neither had bothered to look at the camera. Warm smiles graced both teen's faces, but they had been too focused on each other to realize that a flash had gone off and the moment was recorded in time forever. "I made us hot chocolate," Akihiko murmured quietly to the picture. "Extra marshmallows in yours. Just the way you like it."

Before sitting down, he reached for a second item that had been sitting beside the frame and picked it up. Both were placed on the floor beside the fuller of the two mugs and shortly joined by the boxer himself. A small smile had somehow made its way to the silverette's lips between standing and the floor, but it didn't fade, even as his voice started to waver when he spoke. "I'm sorry I'm late. Work ran later than expected, and I still had to pick up your gift. I got something… different this year." Akihiko reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, holding it in front of the frame, as if the people pictured inside might suddenly move and turn to examine it. "Mitsuru and the others keep telling me it's pointless to waste my money on things like this, but I don't care. I promised you, didn't I? I've never broken a promise I made to you before, and I don't plan to start. You never broke the ones you made to me."

With a soft chuckle, the boxer opened the box and held it out again, watching as the simple, but elegant rose quartz ring sparkled dully in the firelight. "You always seemed to like red and pink; it's rose quartz. The woman at the store told me it symbolizes unconditional love; I thought it would be perfect…" he paused, inhaling sharply as he forced himself to continue. "I… I should be giving this to you on one knee, you know? I bet you'd be ready to smack me if I did, though. Then you'd call me an idiot for telling you not to cry, but in the end… you'd say yes, right? We talked about it once before when we were in my room together. That day I asked you what you saw when you thought about the future." Another breath, sharper this time. "I… I never expected you to say that you… saw _me_."

Blinking back the stinging sensation that had suddenly formed in his eyes, Akihiko dragged his sleeve across them quickly and reached for the larger box he'd retrieved from the shelf and opened its lid. A gentle chime of music filled the room, and different coloured glimmers of light reflected off the ceiling as the fire's light poured down on the contents of the box where nine other pieces of jewelry sat, glimmering brightly as if they were brand new. The ring, still nestled in the box it came in, joined the other pieces with the gentlest care Akihiko's fingers could provide before the box was shut again and the music stopped. "…I never did get to answer you," he suddenly spoke, trying to ignore it as the sting returned. "You… you asked me what I saw, but we were interrupted." He reached for his hot chocolate and took a sip in an attempt to calm himself, but the drink tasted bitter against his tongue. "I saw the same thing I still see, even if it's foolish." A sniff, followed by a soft 'plop' as a droplet of water hit the frame. "It was you; always you… still you. I saw you and me… together in the world we'd saved from Nyx. And… we were happy."

Another plop, followed by several more. "Ahaha, I guess I need to dust again, huh?" Akihiko chuckled weakly, using his sleeve as a makeshift napkin once more. "Today should be happy…" he trailed off, listening to the loud and echoing chime of the town's clock as it struck the final call of midnight. His eyes closed briefly as the tears that threatened to fall were forced back and a gentle smile took their place as he opened them again. Silver eyes shifted from the fire to the photo, and the smile brightened slightly.

Picking the frame up, Akihiko touched a finger to his lips before lightly touching the top of the brunette female's head. The next time he spoke, his voice was stronger, filled with the affection he still held for the female. "Merry Christmas, Hamuko."


	2. Hamuko's Wish

Well, here we have it. Part 2, just as promised if people requested it. Perhaps I am posting it a little early, but who cares. More for the fans. Maybe it'll inspire more people to write for this pairing... because I'd really like to read some.

Enjoy!

* * *

White. It was a colorscene Hamuko's eyes had long since grown used to, but her body longed to run from. A hospital would have looked like a rainbow of colour in comparison, and there were times when she wished for nothing more than to be stuck in a bed of a ward, rather than being where she was now. The most offered to her for scenery would have been the bizarre clock-like face behind her that was, in a sense, the physical appearance of the seal she'd sacrificed her remaining life to keep locked away. Of course, while she had never regretted doing it, there were times when the brunette would wish that she could turn back time and refuse to become the seal. While it would have meant Nyx's undoubted return, and a constant fight with Shadows, at least she would be able to see her friends; to the life she had fallen in to by chance and grown to enjoy so much.

However, while protecting the people she cared about (and at the same time, the world itself) was not something she was displeased with, a lingering voice in the back of her mind constantly reminded her of the one regret she had tried so hard to ignore; the one thing, or person, rather, that had almost made her refuse to become the seal in the first place.

"Akihiko…" Hamuko mumbled quietly, rolling to lie on her side on what she assumed to be the "ground". Everything around her was a blinding white, and for all she knew, it was actually the ceiling or a wall that she was somehow lying on, but in the end, it never mattered. She was lying on a bed of white, and there was nothing heavenly or utopian about it.

As pushed herself into a sitting position, the sound of the clock behind her echoed throughout the entire area. One strike. Two Strikes. Three. Four… and they continued up until the twelfth. Almost on reflex Hamuko turned and pressed her hand to the clock, waiting several seconds before it seemed to transform, the various circles, numbers, and hands that graced it's surface fading away until it was as if she were looking through an invisible window that gave her a view of another world.

Through the "glass", she could see the dark image of a room lit only by firelight, and the silhouette of a silver-haired figure as they sat in front of it. Hamuko could feel her heart double in speed at the same time her chest clenched painfully. How she had come to discover the "window" to the real world, she couldn't remember, but it was a warm relief from the one she lived in. Alas, as much joy as it brought her to gaze upon the boy she'd fallen for in high school, looking through her mirror brought as much pain as it did joy. The non-existent glass worked as a barrier, keeping her locked away from the one person she wished to return to more than anyone or anything else that she had come across in her short lifetime.

"Merry Christmas, Hamuko…"

"Aki…!" The nickname fell from her lips with ease, the tone of her voice taking a pitch-dive as she struggled to hold back the tears that had threatened to fall so many times before. "Aki, I…" her voice trailed off, the rest of the sentence dying in her throat. Calling out was a futile, useless attempt and she knew it. While she could hear anything and everything he said, it was impossible for him to hear her, and it was that thought that shattered her heart the most. Just another tease from the glass that separated them for so long. "Aki, I'm so—"

"You miss him."

Gasping sharply, Hamuko turned around, her hand falling away from the "glass" and with it, the image of Akihiko. Auburn eyes widened in surprise as her chest clenched tighter in fear, but the feeling faded as quickly as it had come as she locked gazes with a familiar pair of purple eyes. "Oh, Pharos…" she greeted quietly with a small nod of the head. "I… you haven't appeared for a while." The brunette paused briefly. "Why not as Ryoji?"

"It takes more power to appear as him," Pharos explained quietly, stepping toward the clock behind Hamuko as he spoke. "If I come like this… I can stay longer, and do more things."

"More… things?" she repeated, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"…How often do you watch him?"

"I… what?"

Pharos placed his hand on the clock, causing the image of Akihiko to reappear briefly before he moved his hand away and turned to Hamuko. "That boy. The one with silver hair. How… often do you watch him?"

At first, Hamuko didn't answer, a small feeling of shame welling up inside her. It would be selfish to complain. Claiming it wasn't fair wouldn't change anything, and while unfair it had been, it would have been just as unfair to anyone else who was given the same power she had been. In a sense, she always assured herself that she had somehow prevented someone else from the suffering she went through by it happening to her, and while she still didn't regret her choice, the pain the boy in front of her was unintentionally bringing back full-swing made her feel sick. "…Everyday," she admitted quietly. "Usually at night. He… he always talks to me then."

"You talk…?"

"Just him," she explained quietly, pressing her hand back to the "mirror" to make the silverette appear a third time. "He doesn't know I can hear him. Aki… he talks to a picture he has of us. Every night, even if he's exhausted from work, he always… tells me something. Sometimes it's only a 'goodnight', but he…"

"Do you miss him?"

Hamuko's mouth twisted painfully, forming a frown that took Pharos by surprise. He sighed quietly and glanced at the clock, knowing that there was no need for an answer. His own guilt had started to claw violently at his stomach, and the reason he'd come suddenly seemed so much more important than before. Ten years of careful planning and thought, and he'd finally discovered what he could do. Still, Hamuko was precious to him, and while his choice had saddened him, in the end, perhaps it was better that way.

"Hamuko?" he called quietly, earning a questioning look from the brunette beside him. "No matter what… we'll always be friends, right?"

The question was odd, but something in the boy's face begged for an answer, despite it already being known. "Of course," the brunette smiled gently. "Always. That won't ever change."

"I see…" Pharos returned the smile, if only painfully. "Then… that's enough for me." He reached forward, pulling Hamuko's hand away from the mirror to make the image of the clock come back. "You can come out now."

"Huh…?" A question had formed on Hamuko's lips, but before she could finish, a figure stepped out from behind the clock and made her jump violently. "What…"

"It is a pleasure to see you again," a male's voice said happily. "It has been too long, my most precious friend."

"Theo!"

Hamuko's eyes brightest slightly, perhaps the happiest Pharos had ever seen them outside their gaze aimed at the silver-haired boxer. He watched in silent glee as the brunette hurried forward and tugged the youngest of the Velvet Room's hosts into a hug, making the blond blush heavily as he sputtered out what was supposed to be the rest of his greeting.

"Why—No, how are you here…?" she asked, taking a step back to allow Theodore to breathe. "This place is…"

"You can thank the young man behind you," the blond host said with a smile. "He was the one who helped me find my way here. My sisters and I… have long since been searching for a way to bring you home. Thanks to him, we have finally achieved that goal."

"You… you mean…"

"You should return to him," Pharos said quietly, moving to stand in front of the brunette. "That boy you keep watching, Akihiko, right? You should go back to him. You already used your power to seal Nyx away… so there isn't a reason to make you stay anymore. I have more than enough to… eliminate the problem."

It didn't take the awkward phrasing of the other's words for Hamuko to know there was a catch. She frowned slightly and stepped forward, placing a hand on Pharos' shoulder. "What will happen to you?"

"I'm… going to erase myself from existence…" he explained honestly with a wry smile. "Nyx shouldn't exist in this world, and while you're sealing it away, ten years of saving power… can do a lot. I am going to destroy both Nyx, and the seal… and with it, I will fade away as well. But… it's alright. Because in the end, we'll always be friends, just like you said. That's all I needed… Friends do things for each other, they want to see each other happy. So… I want to do this, for you… to make you happy."

"But…!"

Shaking his head, Pharos chuckled. "I knew you'd protest. That's why I asked him to come… He's going to make sure that you'll make it home. So please, for me… Don't cry, and don't mourn for me. Just get to him as soon as you can. Run and embrace him. That… is what I want in return. My 'thank you'."

Tears had begun to pool in Hamuko's eyes as she darted forward and tugged Pharos into a hug. Words couldn't begin to describe how thankful she was, and any protests she wanted to voice were being silenced by both the boy's words, and her own desire to return home. "Thank you…" she murmured softly. "A million times, thank you…"

Inhaling slowly, Pharos forced another smile and returned the affectionate gesture before stepping back and placing his hands against Hamuko's shoulders. "Remember what I said… to show me your thanks. Go." With those final words, he pushed the female's shoulders roughly, causing her to stumble backward into Theodore's waiting arms.

"Pharos…"

"Goodbye, my most precious… friend…"

And the white was gone.

"Ah… it appears to be snowing." Theodore muttered as he looked around the street the two of them had landed on. "Of course, that makes sense, after all, it is Christmas. Now, if you'll come this way…" Not bothering to wait for a response, the blond took Hamuko's hand in his own and lead her down the street, an address repeating itself silently over and over in his mind.

It only took them a few minutes for them to reach their destination, and a wordless exchange was shared between them with only a gentle smile and a final hug before Hamuko sprinted toward the door of Akihiko's apartment, a small, glowing key that had been slipped into her grasp clutched tightly in her hand. Theodore watched in silence from the shadows of a tree as the brunette knocked on the door hesitantly, her own nervousness showing obviously in her actions.

My feelings are obsolete in this case, he thought, feeling his breathe catch as the door opened and complete silence fell over the street.

"Hamuko…" a hoarse voice tore Theodore from his thoughts and he gazed at the apartment entryway, waiting until he knew the brunette was safely inside. "You're…"

"Merry Christmas, Aki… I-I'm… home." I'm finally… finally home.


End file.
